Electric signaling system.



No. 805,619. PATENTBD NOV. 28, 1905. W. S. & A. S. AUNGST. ELECTRIC SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.20, 1905.

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No. 805,619. PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905. W. S 8: A. S. AUNGST.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING SYSTEM. APPLIOATION rum) MAR.20, 1905.

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mllllllllmmm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. AUNGST AND ARTHUR S. AUNGST, OF ALLIANCE, OHIO; SAID ARTHUR S. AUNGST ASSIGNOR TO SAID WILLIAM S. AUNGST.

ELECTRlC SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed March 20, 1905. Serial No. 251,066.

vented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signaling Systems; and We do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improved sig- "naling system, and more particularly to means for transmitting fire, burglar, or other alarms, one object of the invention being to provide simple and efficient means whereby telephonelines and the central apparatus of a telephoneexchange can be readily and effectually utilized for transmitting such alarms to a fire or other alarm station Without necessity for the use of devices at the central office other than those commonly employed in operating the telephone-exchange system except means for connecting a subscribers line in circuit with a fire or other alarm station.

A further object is to provide means for utilizing telephone subscribers lines and central-office apparatus for transmitting alarmsignals without including inthe signaling-circuit any part of the local telephone-circuit.

A further object is to utilize a telephone subscribers line and central-ofiice apparatus for transmitting alarm-signals fromany one of a number of signal-transmitting devices connected with the same subscribers line.

A further object is to combine with a subscribers line an alarm-station and a telephoneexchange central office, means whereby the central-office operator can be apprised of an alarm-call as distinguished from the usual telephone-call, and means whereby the operator can connect the circuit of the alarm-station with the circuit of the subscribers line and permit the alarm-signal to be transmitted from the subscribers line or subscribers station to the alarm-station.

A further object is to adapt signaling means to a telephone system and a fire or other alarm station in such manner that a fire or other alarm can be transmitted from the subscribers station through the central office to the fire or other alarm station and so that the subscriber and the central-oflice operator will be notifiedwhether or not an alarm-signal has,

been properly received at the fire or other alarm station.

A further object is to utilize a telephone central-otfice apparatus and a two-wire subscribers line for transmitting a fire or other signal through the central ofiice to a fire or other alarm station and to provide means whereby the central oflice would properly receive an alarm-signal, and so that said signal could be properly transmitted from the subscribers line-station to the fire or other alarm station, even when one of the wires of the metallic subscribers line-circuit is broken, or when the subscribers line-circuit is closed by the hook-switch, (when the hand-phone has been removed,) or when the subscribers line is short-circuited or bridged, or one wire of the metallic circuit becomes grounded at a point between the subscribers station and the central office.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangement, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a general diagrammatical view illustratingthe application of our improvements. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatical view illustrating the details of the circuits.

A represents a subscribers station.

The central ofiice of the telephone-exchange is represented at B, and a fire-alarm station is shown at C.

At 1 2 is represented a two-wire subscribers line or metallic circuit between subscribers station A and the switchboard-jack 3 at the central ofl ice B. The wires 4t 5 of a metallic circuit connected with the apparatus at the fire-station alsoienter the central-office switchboard, and these wires are adapted to be connected with the wires 1 2 of the subscribers line by means of a plug inserted into the jack 3. When the subscribers line and the fire-alarm line have been thus connected, a metallic circuit will have been established between the subscribers station A through the central otfice B to the fire-alarm station O, and at the latter station the circuit will in.- clude in series a register D, a bell E, an operating device F for a tower-bell G, and a battery G, and said circuit will also include at the central oflice a small tapper-bell H. At

the subscribers station a make-and-break device I, of any preferred form of construction, is looped onto the subscribers line 1 2, as at 7 and this loop-circuit? also includes a small tapper-bell 8.

With the arrangement of circuits and devices above described when the make-andbreak box I is operated the pilot-lamp at the central oifice (the circuits of which will be hereinafter more fully described) will flash the call of the particular box operated and indicate to the operator that a fire-call is coming in on the subscribers line. The operator Will at once plug-in the fire-station line 4 5. The call-box make-and-break devices will be arranged to repeat the call several times, so that after the subscribers line has been connected with the line to the fire-alarm station the call will be received on the register D at the latter station, and it will be also received on the bells E and G. If the lines are in proper working order, so as to permit the proper operation of the register at the firealarm station when the box I at the subscribers station A has been pulled, the fact that the alarm has been properly received at the fire-alarm station will be indicated to the central-oliice operator by the tapping of the call on the bell H.

It is obvious that the alarm call-box need not be located in close proximity to the telephone apparatus at the subscribers station, but may be located in a different part of the building or even on the outside thereof, as indicated at A, Fig. 1. In fact, several alarm call-boxes might be located in various places at the subscribers station. one box being looped on the loop-circuit of another box, as shown diagrammatically at A A Fig. 1.

It will be clear to any one skilled in the art how the operator is notified. of a fire-call by the flashing of the pilot-lamp at the central ofiice when an alarm call-box I is operated without a detailed description herein of the central-ofiice circuits, assuming that when the box I is operated the subscribers line is open (with the hand-phone on the hook) and the Wires 1 2 of the subscribers line are not crossed or one of them broken. In view of the fact, however, that we provide means to insure the proper transmission of the fire-signal, if the hand-phone is off the hook and the subscribers line thus closed when the box I is operated, or if at such time the wires 1 2 are crossed or one of them is broken, it becomes necessary to explain the relation of the central-oflice apparatus to the subscribers and fire-alarm station lines under such abnormal conditions, although the central-oflice apparatus and circuits are not in themselves new.

In the system to which we have shown our improvements adapted the cord-circuit comprises in general the limb a (0', divided by a condenser a, the limb b 5, divided by a condenser b, a listening-plug 0 at one end of the two limbs, and a calling-plug d at the other end. A battery is represented at e, and one terminal of this battery is connected, through the magnet of a relayf, with the limb b of the cord. Another terminal of this battery is grounded atf' and also connected, through the magnet of a relayf with the limb act the cord. The contacts of the relays ff are included in a circuit with the battery 6, which circuit also includes a supervisors lamp J. Other relays g g are similarly connected in circuit with the battery f, limbs a b of the cord at the calling side of the condensers a 6 and in the circuit of the contacts of the relays g ,r/ and the battery f another supervisors lamp K is included. It

will be readily understood that when the plugs c and (Z (or either of them) are out of jacks the circuits of the relays and the circuits which they control will be open. As shown in Fig. 2, the contacts of the relaysf and g are normally closed and the contacts of the relays f and g are normally open. Thus the circuits of the supervisors lamps J and K are normally open and said lamps are dark. This is also true when either plug is inserted into a jack and the subscribers line connected with said jack is closed, as by the removal of a hand-phone from the switch-hook at the subscribcrs station, because under such conditions the magnets of both relays (ff or g 9) would be energized, causing the contacts of one to open and the contacts of the other to close, and thus cause the circuit of the supervisors lamp to remain open and the lamp to remain dark. When, however, the subscribers line is opened (as by the placing of the handphone on the hook) While the plugsay, the listening-plug 0isin the jack, the magnet of relayf will become deenergized and permit its contacts to close. The contacts of the relay f 2 will remain closed, because the circuit of the magnet of this relay will be closed through the jack,said circuit being traced from the grounded terminal of battery f" through the magnet of relay f limb a of the cord, the jack, retardation-coil 11, to ground 12. Thus the supervisors lamp J will become luminous when the subscribers line is opened. The same conditions would exist with respect to the supcrvisors lamp J, plug (Z, and the subscribers line with which it might be connected. These conditions we desire to utilize to insure the operation of our alarm-signaling devices when the hand-phone at the subscribers station is off the hook and the subscribers line is thus closed or when the subscribers line is sliort circuited or crossed at same point between the substation and the central oilice or when one of the subscribers line-wires is broken or grounded.

It is apparent that the pilot-lamp which is used to flash the fire-alarm signal at the central ofiice when the subscribers line is in normal condition could not be thus employed when the subscribers line is in use or when the abnormal conditions above mentioned exist, because at such time the pilot-lamp would be cut out, and therefore dark. however, the supervisers lamp can be utilized to flash the alarm-signal, and the man-' ner in which we accomplish this we will proceed to explain.

One member of the make-and-break device of the call-box I at the substation is provided with a ground connection 13. At 'the firealarm station we prefer to employ a register having two markers actuated, respectively, by magnets 14 and 15. The magnet 14 is included in series with the line 4 5, and the magnet 15 is arranged in a branch circuit 16, which includes also the battery G and is grounded at 17.

Now let it be assumed that the plug 0 is in the jack and that the subscribers line is in use, with the hand-phone at the substation off the hook and the subscribers line therefore closed. Should the call-box I now be operated, the supervisors lamp J would be caused to flash the signal, and the operator. seeing the alarm-signal thus produced, would withdraw the plug 0 from the jack and plug in the fire-alarm station-line, so that the signal could be transmitted to the latter. The flash ing of the supervisors lamp with the circuit conditions as above outlined may be explained as follows: Before the call-box I was operated the circuit of the lamp J was open at relay f and closed at f Now when the circuit is closed by the make-and-break device at the call-box I the circuit of said lamp J will be opened at the contacts of relay f, because the circuit which the magnet of said relay forms a part will include the central-oflice battery,

the limb of the party-line, and be grounded at the central ofiice and at the substation. At the same time the contacts of the relay f will remain closed, as the circuit of the magnet of this relay is closed through the jack, the retarder 11, and the ground 12. Now as the make-and-break wheel in box I continues its rotation and opens the circuit including the magnet of relayf the contacts of said relay will close, thus closing the circuit of the superv-isors lamp J and causing said lamp to become lighted. As the makeand-break Wheel in box I continues its rotation it will close and then open the circuit including the magnet of relay f, and thus cause the circuit of lamp J to be alternately opened and closed and the lamp to flash the signal transmitted by the make-and-break mechanism in the box I. The same results would be attained if the calling-plug d were used, except that the relays g 9 instead of the relays ff would be used. As before stated, when a fire-signal is received on the supervisors lamp the operator will remove the plug 0 or d and at once plug-in the line of the fire-alarm station. The subscribers line being closed at the hand-phone switch, two

Under said conditions,

circuits will be established through the register at the fire-alarm station. One of these circuits will include in a metallic circuit, with the line-wires 1 2 4 5 and battery G, the magnet 14 and maintain the marker controlled by this magnet in contact with the tape passing through the register, and thus cause a continuous mark to be made thereon. The other circuit will include the magnet 15 of the register, one side of the line-circuit, and the make-and-break device in call-box I, this circuit being grounded at both endsviz., at 13 and at 17. The marker, actuated by the magnet 15, will therefore be brought intermittingly in contact with the tape while the circuit is being interrupted by the make-andbreak mechanism of box I, and the signal of box I will thus be recorded in the register at the alarm-station.

The operations above described will also take place ifthe party-line, instead of being closed at the hand-phone hook, is short circuited at any part of the line between the central and sub station. It will also be observed that the signal can be transmitted from the box I to the fire-alarm station if one or both of the line-wires 2 5 be broken. It will further be observed that on account of the ground connection 13 at the substation the pilot-lamp at the central office would be flashed by the operation of the box I if subscribers linewire 2 is broken, because the battery 10 at the central oilice is grounded at 12.

With the use of my improvements a firesignal can be transmitted even though the lines 2 or 5 may be broken, but not when both limbs of the subscribers line or both limbs of the fire-alarm station are down. In the former case the sender of the alarm would know that the alarm has not been received by the central oflice, because the tapper 8 would not operate, and in the other case the central-office operator would know that the fire-alarm station had not received the signal, because the tapper H at the central office would re fuse to respond.

It is apparent that provision may be made for sending a police or burglar call, instead of or in addition to a fire-call, by providing distinctive signals for each of these calls.

Various changes might be made in the details of construction and arrangements of parts of our invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope, and hence we do not wish to limit ourselves to the precise details herein set forth.

Having fully described our invention, what we claimv as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of a telephone central-office jack, a subscribers line connected therewith, an alarm-station register having two markers, a circuit from said register to the central office, a plug in said circuit at the central oifice, a battery at the alarm-station and included in the line-circuit With one of In testimony whereof We have signed this the magnets of the register, a grounded cirspecification 1n the presence of two subscrib- IO cult including said battery and the other maging Witnesses.

net of the register, a make-and-break call WILLIAM S. AUNGST mechanism independent of the localtelephone- ARTHUR S. AUNGST. circuits looped on the subscribers line, and a Witnesses:

ground connection for said make-and-break CHAS. O. SILVER,

call mechanism. O. E. PFoU'ls. 

